Weary of the high costs of getting dental care in Qatar, residents are saying it’s time for health officials to intervene, Gulf Times reports.

Despite a proliferation in the number of practicing dentists here, prices of basic treatments such as fillings and cleanings remain high, especially for expats without insurance, the newspaper states. Caps should be placed on these services, it added.

Rather than pay the fees, residents faced with the rising cost of living here often postpone treatment until they go home, it continues: 

“Seeking dental care for children at the local clinics seems to be more expensive than many other dental issues,” said a parent, who recalled how a doctor at a polyclinic levied a hefty fee despite being unable to treat a puss growth in his three-year-old son’s teeth root. “Fortunately, we were leaving for our country in a couple of days. This saved us from spending more money,” said the parent, who got the job done in his hometown in India.

Complaints about high dental fees have been circulating here for years, with the Peninsula reporting in 2010 that residents would rather travel to Jordan or Egypt to get expensive procedures done for less.

At the time, dentists argued that higher fees meant patients were getting better care.

What do you think? Does that argument hold up today? Or is the cost of dental care in Qatar still too high?

Credit: Photo by Army Medicine